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Thus, in the Russian media “madness is not promoted,” said the former head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pavel Klimkin. He explained the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding Donbass.
Russian President Vladimir Putin “raises the stakes” on the situation around Ukraine. This opinion was expressed on April 3 on Facebook by former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin.
“There are three reasons Putin is raising the stakes at the moment. First, the desire for better positions in trade with the new US administration. The Kremlin cannot do this from a position of strength with states. United, so it creates pressure on its partners, mainly in Ukraine. “- wrote the diplomat.
The second reason, he believes, is Moscow’s desire to “create the ground for large-scale provocations.” Among them, Klimkin named both military and political provocations, for example the recognition of Donbass independence before the State Duma elections in the fall of 2021.
“Russia does not need Donbass, but keeping it as a colony like Abkhazia is one of the Kremlin’s options. After” Crimea is ours “, they can go to” Donbass is ours “under the sauce of” protection “of Russian citizens, they are increasingly in the occupied territories – they are trying to get “almost everyone. The creation of a total hysteria in the Russian media about the supposedly “hostile” actions of Ukraine falls into this logic.
The third reason why he mentioned the situation in Russia itself.
The “television” always distracts from the “hospital” and the “refrigerator”. The economic situation in Russia is clearly not improving and vaccination is not progressing rapidly either. Seeking external enemies is a typical response of all empires to internal problems, “Klimkin noted.
According to him, “you should definitely not panic.”
“We are definitely not afraid of anything, but we should not relax either,” said the diplomat.
In early 2021, the situation in Donbas escalated, where Russia, contrary to the evidence, does not recognize its involvement in the conflict.
Another exacerbation occurred on March 26: in the area of the village of Shumy, Donetsk region, illegal armed formations from Russia opened fire with mortars, grenade launchers and large-caliber machine guns. As a result of the bombing, four soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were killed. Two more soldiers were injured.
According to data from the Office of the President of Ukraine, as of April 1, since the beginning of the year, the Russian occupation troops in Donbass violated the ceasefire more than 570 times.
On March 30, at an extraordinary meeting of the Verkhovna Rada, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ruslan Khomchak declared that Russia increases military presence near the border with Ukraine in the south, east and north: in the Bryansk, Voronezh regions, as well as in occupied Crimea. Khomchak emphasized that the Ukrainian army is ready to give an adequate response “both in the case of an escalation in the JFO zone, and in the case of a complication of the military-political, military-strategic situation around Ukraine.”
Kremlin Chairman Dmitry Peskov said that the movement of Russian troops through the territory of the Russian Federation should not disturb other states, it does not threaten them in any way. On April 2, Peskov accused the Ukrainian army of “provocations in Donbass” and called the situation on the demarcation line “very frightening”. Commenting on this, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that in recent weeks Russia has been conducting a systemic disinformation campaign about Kiev’s alleged preparation for an escalation in Donbas. He assured that Ukraine is fighting for a peaceful settlement.
On April 2, US leader Joe Biden confirmed his support for Ukraine in a telephone conversation with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskiy said that the Ukrainian army is “capable of repelling anyone” and this strengthens Ukraine’s negotiating position in the diplomatic agreement it seeks.
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